Apparatus for recapping tires



April 26, 1960 A. E. RlcHARDsoN 2,933,765

APPARATUS FOR RECAPPING TIRES Original Filed May 7. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l A rrowf-YJ April 26, 1960 A. E. RICHARDSON 2,933,765

APPARATUS FOR RECAPPING TIRES Original Filed May 7. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,-H--Ar *E15 ATTOR/VYS to a minimumin the recapping operation.

2,933,765 Patented Apr. 26, 1960 APPARATUS ron RECAPHNG 'rinus Arthur E. Richardson, Detroit, Mich., Vassigner of fifty percent to Harry B. Park, and fifty percent to Moe Saslove, both of Detroit, Mich.

substituted for abandoned application Serial No. 582,964, May 7, 1956. This applicationV December, 22, 1958, lSerial No. V782,279

7 Claims. (Cl. 18-4'5) This invention relates to a method and apparatus for recapping pneumatic tires of both the tubeless type and those rused with inner tubes. j

The recapping of pneumatic tires is a very important operation with respect to the ultimate life of the tire.

' If properly recapped, a tire may safely be subjected to Y'mental to portions of the tire that are not being recapped;v

and at the same time, subjecting the tire to high internal pressure when the tire is heated to vulcanizing temperatures is also detrimental.

The present invention has for its object the provision of an apparatus and method for recapping tires -in which the heat and pressure detrimental to the tire'is reduced More specifically, the invention has to do with a recapping method and apparatus designed to restrict the application of heat and pressure to substantially only those portions of the tire on which the new tread is being applied; that is, substantially only the radially outermost portions of the tire. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, in the process of recapping, only the tread portion of the tire is heated and stretched. The side wall of the tire and the tire core within the side wall is substantially unaffected by the recapping operation when performed in accordance with the method an'diapparatus ofthe present invention. L.

Another object of the .invention resides in the provision of Va recapping apparatusfor tires that is designedr to produce consistently sound recapped tires.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide a recapping apparatus which is light in Weight,.easy to manipulate manually and economical in cost.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a tire recapping apparatus that is constructed suchthat an assembly designed for a particular size tireis adapted to laccommodate and successfully recap tires Vtha'tfvary substantially from said predetermined tire size.

A still further object of the invention .resides in the better illustrate the relationship between the several members.

4 Pig. 2 is a sectionalv view taken generally along the lines 2-2 in Fig. l and showing the manner in which the various members of the apparatus of this invention are assembled, the parts being shown in their relative position prior to the inflation of the bag. Fig. 43 is a View corresponding to Fig. 2 and showing the bag in the inflated condition.

fFig. 4 is a sectional view along the lines 4-4 in Fig. 1 showingthe relative positions of the parts prior to ination rof the bag.

Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4 and showing the bag in the inated condition. A

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the bag alone as viewed along the lines 6-6 of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawings, numeral 10 generally designates a recapping mold which inmost respects is generally conventional. Mold 10 is of annular shape and includes an upper section 12 and a lower section 14 having parting faces at 16. The inner faces of sections 12 and r14 have machined ory otherwise'formed thereon the tire ftread configuration as at 1S. Means such as steam conduits 20 are provided Within sections 12 and 14 for heating the inner tread forming face 18 of these mold sections. The mold sections 12 and 14 are retained between top and bottom annular plates 22 and 24, respectively.

.The tire being recapped is designated 26. Tire 26 is of conventional construction and includes a tread portion 28 extending around the radially outer face of the tire and provided with shoulders 29 at each side thereof and side walls 30 provided with beads 32. The junction between shoulder 29 of tread portion 28 and the side wall 30.is` ;generally defined by buliing bars 34 which form annular ridges at each side of the tire. To each of the plates 22 and 24, there is secured an annular ring 36 positioned to engagethe buliing bars 34 on the tire. It will `b e observed that rings 36 are insulated from the heated portions 12 and 14 of the mold by the annular air gaps 38. In Vthe recapping operation, there is arranged within-tire 26 a core or bagV 40 and a rim 42.

`The b'ag 40 is shown more clearly in Fig. 6. The bag isgformed of rubber preferably by an extrusion process and includes a generally flat inner cylindrical wall 44 and anouter curved wall 46. Walls 44 and 46 intersect at their outer faces in relative sharp corner portions 48. The inner rfaces of these walls designated 50 and 52, respectively, intersect in rounded corner portions 54. With this arrangement, it will be observed that although the bag is formed entirely of rubber, the outer edge portions 56 of the bag are relatively thick and comprise sections of solid rubber. At preferably diametrically opposite points, bag 40 is provided with valve stems 5S and 60. Valve stem 58 comprises an inlet fitting and valve stem 60 provides a-bleed fitting when the bag is used with steam. When the b ag is used with air, one of these two valve stems may be plugged. The axial central portion of wall 44 is fashioned with an annular bead 62 which projects radially inwardly. In the embodiment shown, bead 62 is provided with angularly inclined `faces 64 and 66.

A"Rim 42 comprises a series of arcuate sections 43 (Fig. l), each section having an arcuate peripheral wall 68 and radially inwardly projecting side walls 70 around the opposite edges of the peripheral wall 68. At opposite ends of each rim section,rthererare provided abutments '72 ing the present invention, parts being broken away to fashioned with semi-cylindrical sockets 74. Intermediate the ends, two of the rim sections, 43a and 43b, are fashioned with apertured bosses 76 for accommodating valve stems 58 andl60. v Intermediate the side walls 70, each arcuate sectiongof the rim is provided with an annular vin Wardly projecting reinforcing rib 78. One end of each arcuate section of the rim is provided with a rivet or pin 80 in sockets 74 so that the arcuate sections may be assembled end-to-end to form -a ring, the peripheral Wall 65 of the ring generally forming a cylinder. The radially outer face of wall 68 isfashioned with a central groove 82. In the embodiment illustrated, groove 82'is of a V-shape in cross section to correspond with the cross sectional shape of annular bead 62 on bag 40.

Referring now to Fig. 2, when it is desired vto recap a tire, the remaining tread on the tire is butfed down generally to the surface indicated at 84 and a layer of rubber 86 which will form the new tread on the tire is cemented to this buffed surface. Thereafter, with the mold in the open condition, that is, sections 12 and 14 separated, the tire is positioned within the lower section 14 ofthe mold. The mold is then closed and the tire assumes the position shown in Fig. 2. The tire is conned axially by the annular rings 36 abutting against the butiing bars 34 on the tire. Bag 40 is inserted within the tire; andrthereafter, the sections of rim 42 are arranged within the tire in endto-'end relation. A pair of the rim sections, 43c and 43d, are provided with lugs 8S having sockets 90 for receiving the cylindrical end portions 92 of a rim assembly tool 94. Tool 94 includes a handle 96 having an arcuate end portion 98. A link 160 is pivotally connected with the portion 98 as at 102. The cylindrical members 92 are `fashioned at the free ends of arcuate portion 98 and link lill). When the rim s initially assembled within the tire, oneof the end sections will overlap the adjacent end section shown in broken lines in Fig. l. VThe cylindrical members 92 of the tool are engagedin the respective sockets 90 of the lugs 88 and the handle 96 is kthen pivoted from the broken to the solid line position to circumferentially expand the rim sections and simultaneously shift the overlapping rim section into alignment with the adjacent Vend section of the rim as illustrated. It will be appreciated, of course, that the bag 40 `and1rim 42 may be arranged within the tire before the tire is inserted in the mold. l

In Fig. 2, the tire 26, bag 40, rim 42 and mold 10 are shown in their relative positions before bag 40 is inflated. The diameter of rim 42 corresponds generally with the diameter of the tire adjacent the bufng bars 34. Thus, the bag 40 is located within that portion of the tire extending generally between the tread and the bufling bars 34. Bag 4t) in section defines a segment of a circle but i'ssubstantially less than a semi-circle. Atv the same time, it will be observed that the heating sections 12 and 14 of mold 1t) contact the tread portion of the tire down to adjacent the bung bars 34. The tire as illustrated in Fig. 2 is in a generally relaxed condition with'the side walls 30 extending radially inwardly towards one another. When the bag 40 is inflated (Fig. 3) such as by the introduction of steam or air under pressure through the valve stem 58, the tread portion ofthe tire is expanded radially outwardly into the tread configuration 18 of the mold. This causes the side walls 30 to be straightened slightly as illustrated. Under the inuence of heat, the tire is vulcanized in this condition. In this condition, the tire assumes more nearly its shape when mounted on a rim and inated. Thus, the tire is cured in the shape it assumes in use. Experience has shown that tires capped in this manner out last tires which are cured with the side walls in a cramped or bulged vunnatural position. It will be observed that with the arrangement described, the only portion of the tire that is subjected to heat and pressure is substantially the' portion to which the tread is being applied. In the arrangement shown, this comprises the radially outermost portions of the tire extending between the buing bars 34. In view of the fact that the annular rings 36 are spaced from the heated sections of'themold, very little heat is conducted to the side walls ofthe tire. Thus, the pressure is applied substantially in aradiallyoutward direction against the tread ofthe tire and it utilized substantially exclusively for expanding the tread radially outwardly against the mold. This stretches the tread portion of the tire and takes all of the stretch out of the cord 104 in the tread portion of the tire without affecting the cord 106 in the side walls 30 of the tire. In this connection, it will be noted that since bag 40 is formed entirely of rubber, it is free to expand readily for pushing the tread of the tire outwardly against the mold.. VThis would not be the case if the bag, 40 were reinforced with the cord.

In view of the fact that this arrangement confines the application of heat to only those portions of the tire where it is required in order to effect recapping, applicant has found that he is able to use a heated mold such as 10 and to employ steam under pressure in the bag 40. Thus, with this arrangement, the heat is applied from both the inside and the outside of the tire. This prevents overcuring of the outer portion of the tire, as is often the case where an air bag is used, andv at the same time enables curing the tread and any repairs inside the casing within the area contacted by the bag in a single operation. Al,- though a conventional sectional mold is illustrated in the drawings, it will be appreciated that the rim and bag of this invention isequally adaptable for use with the conventional band-type mold; and in either event, since the pressure is applied radiallysubstantially only against the tread portion of the tire, the need for pressure plates conventionally employed at each side of the tire within the mold is eliminated Y Y The arrangement illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 generally corresponds to the showing in Figs. 2 and 3 and further,

the mold sections 12 and 14. However, even though the tire 108 is substantially wider than the bag 40 or rim 42, this same bag and rim may be utilized for recapping tire 108. The'bag and rim are arranged within the tire in the manner described with reference to Fig. 2; but since they are narrower than the inside axial dimension of the tire in the region of the buftng bars 34, the bag and rim will naturally tend to drop to the lower side of the tire as illustrated. However, when the bag 40 is inflated, it will naturally tend to center itself in the tire; and since the bead 62 ofthe bag is engaged with the groove 82, the rim will automatically be drawn upwardly into center relation with respect to the tire. Thus, the bead 62 and groove S2 form anv interconnection between the bag and rim that insures proper centering of the rim in thev tire. Obviously, these means can take forms other than the bead and groove shown. Since the bag 40 is free to expand, the outer edge portions S6 of the bag bulges radially there is no tendency for the bag to blow out or for the edges of the rim to cut through the bag. Likewise, since the bag stretches readily, it contracts readily when the pressure is removed so that it will t snugly in a subsequent tire .to be recapped that may be of relatively less width. This would not be the case if the bag 40 and especially the edge portions S6 thereof were reinforced with cord. Thenannular bead 62, as pointed out above, cooperates with the groove 82 in the rim `to center the rim 4in the tire. lIn addition, bead 62 forms a substantial reinforcement for the bag that prevents it from collapsing when inserted in the tire. It will be appreciated that these vbags are Aused continuously and will be relatively hot whenused with steam continually from one operation to the next. "Thus, bead 62'enhances the self-supporting qualities of the hot bag and enables it to be inserted more readily in a tire.

It will be appreciated that at the present time, subst antially all vehicle tires are formed with buing bars such as shown at 34. To those skilledin this art, the tread portion of a tire is considered asthat portion extending around the outside of the tire between the buliing bars. The term tread portion as used in the description and the appended claims is intended to define this portion of a tire.

It will be observed that in use for retreading a tread worn tire, using a tread strip applied to the worn tread outside the tire and between it and the mold, the machine is substantially horizontally disposed. Thus the mold, the bag, and the bag supporting or anvil rirn are centered in substantially a horizontal plane, the same plane for all the parts.

Further the engaged faces of the bag and rim have wedging formations, shown as a V-shaped rib on the bag and a V-shaped groove on the rim. These formations engage, loosely at rst, to center the rim and bag in the tire. Then, when the bag isv inllated, these formations `wedge each other rmly for progressively wedging and centering the rim in a final centered position, preventing slipping, turning or twisting of the rim.

The inllating valve stem is in the thickest part of the bag inner surface, namely the central rib. This decreases and even possibly eliminates the chance of valve failure.

The rim is of less axial length than the intlated bag and its edges are free of the inflated tire sidewalls and the pressure against the side walls comes from the bag. Hence the rim does not engage the tire side walls, possibly to cut them. Hence side wall cutting due to the rim is eliminated.

The rim and bag'have their mating faces flat except for the rib and groove. This eliminates gaps and pinching of the parts on bag ination.

It will also be observed that the major portions of the side walls especially the bead parts or edges of the side walls, are free of the rim when the 'fbag is inated. This is because the rim diameter.A is considerably greater than that of the tire bead diameter, which spaces the beads well within the rim, and because the rim length axially is less than the wall to wall dimension of the tire when the bag is inflated. Because the beads are free of the rim, it becomes possible to retread tubeless as well as tube type tires.

This application is a substitute for my prior application filed May 7, 1956, Serial No. 582,964, allowed July 8, 1958, now abandoned.

Now having described the apparatus disclosed I refer to the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. In a vulcanizing apparatus for pneumatic tire casings including a mold adapted to enclose the tread portion of a tire, an annular inflatable and expansible bag adapted to be positioned within the tire and an annular bag supporting rim of rigid material having an axial length less than the inside diameter of the inflated tire casing, and wherein an inwardly directed, axially extending annular ange on the inatable bag mates with an outwardly directed, axially extending face of the rim, that improvement which comprises a radially extending V-shaped groove in said rim face and a mating radially extending V-shaped solid reenforcing rib on said bag, said bag being of suicient thickness to maintain its shape upon inflation and being pre-shaped to mate with the inside of the tire casing on its inflation to present said rib in a predetermined position relative to the tire casing and said groove in said rim being positioned to engage said rib loosely when the bag is uninated and when the bag is inflated, to hold said rim forcibly centered in said tire by mating engagement with said rib with the opposite edges of the bag extending axially beyond the opposite edges of the rim, whereby inflation of the bag gradually and progre's sively forces said rim and groove into said mating engagement and said rim to said centered position.

' 2. In an apparatus for treading'a tire having a tread wallifand 'two side walls by a tread strip applied to the tread wall; said apparatus comprising a mold adapted to surround and enclose the tread wall and` strip;the combination of an annular inflatable and expansible bag dimensioned to be positioned within the tire against the inside of its tread wall and between its side walls; and an annular bag-supporting anvil rim of rigid material whose outside face is disposed against the inside face of the bag; these engaged faces having annular mutually meshing wedging formations which mutually cooperate, when the parts are positioned for the treading operation, in a manner whereby the bag and the anvil rim adjust mutually and axially to center themeselves in the tire before and during ination of the bag; said bag being of su'icient thickness to maintain its shape upon inflation; said bag also being preshaped to mate with the inside of the tire on its inllation to present its wedging formation in a predetermined position relative to the tire; the wedging formations being positioned to engage each other loosely when the bag is uninflated and, when the bag is inated, the formations center said anvil rim forcibly in said tire .by the mating-wedging engagement of said formations,

whereby inflation of the bag gradually and progresssively wedges and forces said formations into firm mating 'engagement and said rim to a final and accurately centered position; the wedging formations cooperating on bag ination to inhibit slipping and twisting and turning of the anvil rim the engaged faces of the bag and anvil rim being ilat except for said formations; the wedging formations comprising a central V-shaped annular rib on the inside of the bag and a central V-shape annular groove on the outside of the anvil rim.

3. In an apparatus according to claim 2; and said bag having an inating valve stem centered and reinforced therein by being positioned in said bag rib.

4. For use in an apparatus for treading a tire having a tread wall and two side walls by a tread strip applied to the tread wall, with said apparatus comprising a mold adapted to surround and enclosethe tread wall and strip; and an annular anvil rim of rigid material whose outside face is formed with a central annular wedging V-shaped groove and is otherwise at; said rim having an axial length less than the inside axial length of the inated tire, i.e., the distance measured from the inside of one side wall to the inside of the other side wall; said rim being considerably larger in diameter than the edgebead diameter of the tire whereby the edge beads are well within and float free of the rim during the treading operation; an annular inflatable and expansible bag dimensioned to be positioned within the tire against the inside of its tread wall and between its side walls; said bag having a central annular V-shaped wedging rib on its inside surface which is otherwise flat; said bag being of sucient thickness to maintain its shape upon inllation; said bag also being preshaped to mate with the inside of the tire on its ination to present its wedging rib in a predetermined position rrelative to the tire; said bag rib being positioned to'seat in said rim groove loosely when the bag is uninllated; and, when the bag is inflated, to center the rim forcibly in said tire by the wedging coaction of the bag rib and rim groove whereby ination of the'bag gradually and progressively wedges and forces the rib into firm mating engagement with the groove and said rim to a inal and accurately centered position to inhibit slipping and twisting and turning of said rim. A

5. For use in an apparatus according to claim 4; and said bag having an inilating valve stem centered and reinforced therein by being positioned in said bag rib.

6. Tire vulcanizing apparatus including an annular rim having a flat outer surface formed with an annular central radial extending V groove therein; and an annular inflatable tube surrounding the rim and seated on it 7 and having a at inner surface seated on't1 1e flat outer surface of the rim and formed with an annularfcentral inwardly projecting radial extending V rib: mating with said groove; the rib and groove cooperating by relative wedging actionto interlock the rim and -tube against 5 relative shifting'axially.

7. A construction according to claim 6 wherein-the tube has an inating valve stern centered and reinforced therein by being positioned in said tube rib.

References Citedl in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Snyder Apr. 7, 1931 

